Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA ReviewThis is the memoir of disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy. As most basketball fans know Donaghy pleaded guilty in federal court in 2008 to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information through interstate commerce. Donaghy delivers to the reader a no-holds-barred indoctrination of how a boy who not only grew up loving sports and dreaming of playing or refereeing in the NBA one day... but also looked up to his Father whose life as a high school and college referee was the embodiment of integrity. When Tim fulfills his childhood dream of becoming an NBA referee... he exalts in the fame and fortune that this position provides. He gets to rub shoulders with the likes of Jack Nicholson... Spike Lee... and countless other celebrities... in addition to having superstars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant... et al... currying to win favor from him... whether real or imagined... or what lies in between. In a painful self-evaluation the author paints a self-portrait of a man who literally became a degenerate gambling addict. In addition to contacts with childhood friends who became involved in organized crime and started "working" Donaghy for predictions of who would win specific NBA games... Donaghy slowly but inexorably... couldn't live without gambling. "MAKING 35 TO 40 BETS PER WEEK ON FOOTBALL, BASEBALL, BASKETBALL, AND HOCKEY, WE CONTINUED TO GAMBLE ON GOLF AT THE COUNTRY CLUB, CARDS IN THE BACK PARLOR, AND BLACKJACK IN THE CASINOS." Despite being a husband and Father of four young daughters... he lied to his wife and went to Atlantic City for binges at the casinos while telling his wife he was elsewhere.
But what was at the absolute despicable core of his illegal and immoral activity... was the inside information... that he was privy to as an NBA referee. And as a referee... the sanctity of the entire game... and league... rose and fell... at the hands of the referees. According to Tim... he never fixed a game... but he would call his associates... and at times... merely minutes before the game... to report unknown injuries... or team fatigue... to his organized crime cronies. In the author's defense... he does not for a minute deny his unsavory deeds... and his shame for the disgrace that he rained down on his entire family... from his Father... to his wife... to his kids... is palpable. But his admission of how easy it is to predict winners (he was right almost SEVENTY-PER-CENT of the time) based on numerous criteria... of which the most powerful tool he used in his betting "advice" was which referees were assigned to which games. And from here is where his proclamations draw the most attack by NBA commissioner David Stern and associates. Tim painstakingly describes over and over... which ref's had grudges against which players (such as Allen Iverson)... which ref's had grudges against which coaches... (and sometimes even owners)... which ref's had friendships with which coaches. Donaghy names names and gives example after example.
I played basketball at multiple levels in my life... and I am a basketball fanatic. I have been a season ticket holder and I read book after book on basketball... and watch it on cable and still attend games... so when I discuss the next portion of Donaghy's mea-culpa-combined-with-NBA- allegations... I'm not saying all of them are true... but his claims make sense... and I would say every allegation he makes... I have heard fans (including me) say AT LEAST ONE-HUNDRED-THOUSAND-TIMES!" He says there are two sets of rules. One for star players and one for non-stars... unless the ref of that game has a grudge against that star... and believe me he will make that star suffer on a particular night. The NBA *DOES* care about who is in the playoffs... and how many games a series goes. Ref's can easily effect the outcome of a game in so many ways... such as when "SHAQ" asked a ref before the game to let some air out of the game ball so he would get a softer roll on his brick-like free throws.
What pleasantly surprised me about this book... was that... despite the fact that I knew the ending... I found myself anxiously reading to the next chapter to learn the detailed steps of the author's journey to embarrassing ruin... which of course was federal prison.
Despite the fact that you will have a distaste for Donaghy because of his misuse of trust and responsibility... he openly admits his guilt and disgust with what he himself did to his life. When he has to call his beloved venerable Father to tell him of the crimes he's committed... you have to feel for him when he says:
"DAD, I'M IN SOME TROUBLE, A LOT OF TROUBLE."
Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA OverviewThe media has often speculated and sports fans have debated, but until now no one has known the real story. Personal Foul takes an in-depth look at former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and the betting scandal that rocked professional basketball. This is the decisive book that reveals exactly what was done and how it all happened. Which games were affected and how? Did referees target particular players or teams? Just how much did the NBA know and when? How did the mafia get involved? The book answers all of these questions and more. Thrilling and poignant, Personal Foul takes readers on the journey of one man wrestling his own demons and shines a light on a culture of gambling and "directive" officiating in the NBA that promises to change the way sports fans view the game forever. The book also includes a foreword by Phil Scala, the FBI Special Agent who worked the Gambino case.

Want to learn more information about Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now